Note: Don't own Final Fantasy 8 or Devil's Cub sigh
I don't think I've thanked reviewers yet, so here's a beeeg thank you. Anyway Selphie and Zell are going to be in the story, its just a bit later on. Sorry about the lack of Seifer/Quistis interaction (which has been limited to about a paragraph…), a lot will come soon! Anyway on with the story…
Devil's Cub
Chapter 6
"Irvine, raise the stakes?"
"Of course, bank."
Squall watched with unimpaired calm as the stakes of the games went higher. Only those who knew him very well would detect the small movement of discomfiture as he shifted slightly on his seat and brushed his bangs out of his face.
Seifer, on the other hand, seemed very much at his ease. To those who knew him well, they would take the sign of his eyes being strangely brilliant that he was quite drunk. But no one unaccustomed to his manner would say he seemed anything more than a trifle intoxicated.
A man across the table protested they had risen enough already, and threw his cards down in a gesture of withdrawal. Seifer watched the man sit back with a defeated sigh and take a deep gulp of his drink. His gaze turned to Squall "Can you stand it, Leonhart?" he questioned with a mocking smirk.
Squall looked up "I see no reason why I shouldn't." he answered shortly. Seifer gave a nod and spoke easily "Very well."
Irvine took the dice "A rise of a hundred and those afraid of it stand out," he drawled, tipping his hat back. He watched intently as the dice rolled across the table. They landed and Irvine leant back, stretching his arms "Damn you, Seifer." He said good-humouredly, and scribbled his name on a piece of paper and slid it across the table to Seifer.
The sour-faced gentleman beside Raijin watched Seifer, and spoke loud enough to be heard "I'd say its time someone else held the bank. This is a damn-one sided game." Squall looked sharply at Martine who had just spoken and quickly glanced at Seifer to see his reaction at the veiled insult.
Martine's neighbour, a mostly diffident young man named Nida, saw the glitter in Seifer's eye and nudged Martine warningly "Easy Martine, ever known the luck to run evenly?" he said quietly. Martine shrugged casually but he held himself stiffly.
Lord Kramer heard a man standing beside him mutter "Almasy's three parts drunk. There'll be trouble soon." Cid fiddled with his pocket watch nervously and continued to watch the game with a feeling of dread.
Drunk Seifer may be, but his speech and intellect were unimpaired. He lay back in his chair with his long fingers curled around the stem of the wineglass; and his hard stare challenging Martine. "Got something to say, Martine?" he said silkily.
His insolent tone was insult in itself. Irvine looked around the table warily from underneath the brim of his hat. Raijin picked up the dice box "Ah you're wasting time, ya know? I'll call seven." He threw it and lost. "Hyne! Ya know?"
Martine spoke with bitter distinctness "Enough? By Hyne, let someone else hold the bank!" This was met by no apparent acquiescence, so he subsided into an angry silence. And the game continued.
Money passed back and forwards, but the bank was still the easy winner, after an hour's play. Seifer was still drinking steadily and so were others. Martine's scowl was deepening with every glass. On Seifer, the effect seemed negligible. And there was only that- that glitter- in his eyes to betray his state.
Squall, who had lost money, was still seemingly calm as well. He was keeping up but with increasing difficulty. This game was not his specialty. He had partaken of some wine, but the only tangible effect on him would be a slight slurring of his speech, but he didn't talk much anyway, so nobody noticed.
Raijin by this time, was squinting at his cards a little unsteadily. "I haven't had the best luck, ya know?" Martine gave a small bitter smile and threw back the rest of his wine.
"Want to take the bank, Raijin?" offered Seifer lazily. Raijin looked at the small pile of coins and paper in front of him "Can't, ya know? Too small a pile to the bank, ya know?" he declined.
Seifer laughed "Raise you two hundred, gentlemen." He said recklessly.
Mr Bowling sat back warily "Too deep for me."
"Bank can't can't win forever," Seifer replied "Stay, Jack, the night is young yet."
Mr Bowling blinked at the clock on the far wall "Its two o'clock in the morning man!"
Irvine chuckled "That's young, isn't it?"
Mr Bowling replied with an expression of incredulity "Then I must be a man of sedate habits! Do you mean to breakfast here?"
"Sit it out!" recommended Lord Cholmondley. "We'll break Almasy yet! I'll stake the best car in my garage against that black one of yours!"
Bowling sat back "I'm out." He said throwing his hands up and shaking his head.
Seifer smirked "As long as your best car isn't a cart, two hundred it is." He watched Cholmondley throw sixes. Irvine looked at them "Deuce aces." He declared "Can't win forever, eh Seifer?" he added amicably.
Martine, who had been tapping impatient fingers on the table with a frown, spoke resentfully "I'd say he can't lose!"
Seifer leant forward with narrowed eyes "Would you?" he said in almost a gentle tone and as if he waited for more.
"Oh stand out, Martine, if you can't stand it!" admonished Cholmondly impatiently, taking the dice.
It was evident Martine was feeling quarrelsome "I'll stay the course dammit, but the luck's too uneven for my taste.
Irvine straightened the lapels of his coat with considerable care and flicked a speck of dust off his sleeve "Seifer." He said wearily.
Seifer shot him a look.
"Seifer, how did this place become so, so…" he gave a half helpless gesture in the general direction of Martine and gave a heavy sigh.
"Irvine! You interrupt Mr Martine! He was about to explain himself." He said with a dangerous look at Martine.
Raijin nudged Martine "Don't play if you've no luck, ya know? No use in arguing, ya know?"
"I'll play." Said Martine obstinately "But I say let someone else take the bank." Seifer raised an eyebrow at this.
"Seifer," said Irvine with a sigh "I shall positively have to give up this place."
Seifer still had his even gaze on Martine "Patience, Irvine. Martine doesn't like to see the bank win, we should sympathise."
Martine stood up and hissed "I don't like the way this game has gone! I've seen you win three nights running and it isn't natural!"
Barely stifled gasps were heard around the room. It was a serious claim to accuse someone of cheating, especially Devil's Cub.
Cholmondley tried to defuse the situation "You're drunk, Martine! You don't know what you're saying!"
Martine laughed hollowly and stood up, the crowd moved away from him "I've been cheated by that family enough. I won't see the son of that Estharian whore beat m-" He never finished his sentence.
Seifer was up, eyes blazing and Martine was on the floor clutching his jaw. Seifer smiled "That was a waste of my time."
Martine with a red bruise forming on his jaw, pulled himself upright and made a clumsy lunge at Seifer. Cholmondley and Raijin forced him back.
Irvine got up a trifle unsteadily "Damn champagne…Seifer, that's enough of this! You'd be a fool to take the bait! The fellow's drunk!"
Seifer laughed "I'm drunk myself, Irvine, but I can still tell when a man insults me."
Lord Cholmondley gave Martine a shake "Take it back man! You're out of your senses!"
Martine wrenched himself free "You'll meet me for this Almasy!" he spat, fingering his jaw.
"Be sure I will," said Seifer turning away abruptly to whisper urgently to a waiter who nodded, pale-faced.
Irvine picked up the dice "Break 'em. That'll finish it."
Squall who had been quietly watching the proceeding, stood up "He's right, this can be solved simply."
"If they're true, Martine apologises. That's fair."
Martine was cradling his jaw "I say Almasy will meet me! I'll not say thank you for a punch in the face!" He ignored the protests of provocation coming from the crowd.
"Break the dice." Drawled Irvine obstinately "Can't have it said we play crooked."
The waiter came back in with a flat case. Irvine gazed at it, aghast. "Seifer, listen to me. You cannot have a duel in Drakes!" he said slowly, glancing at his friend.
Seifer ignored this, he waved at the now open bow of two pistols, he looked at Martine. "Make your choice," he looked at Irvine. "I have to be in Winhill by nine o'clock. I'll settle my scores before I leave."
Irvine looked at the pistols with a frown "Don't usually bring pistols to a gaming house do you?"
"They were in my car." He looked at the clock "It waits, choose." Seifer commanded shortly.
Martin picked out one and weighed it in his hand grimly. "Who will act as my second?"
No eyes met his accusing stare willingly. "Then, by Hyne, I shall act for myself!"
Raijin started forward "Neither of you are in a fit state, ya know?"
Seifer drew a small gun from his pocket and picked a card up, sitting down.
"What the devil?" questioned Lord Cholmondley uncertainly.
Suddenly Seifer threw the card into the air and lifted his pistol, he fired before anyone could stop him. There was a loud report and a small thud as the bullet went into the wall. Raijin lifted his hand and caught the card that was drifting lazily down, smoking faintly. He held it with a thumb and finger, clearly showing the neat hole through the torso of the joker.
Squall took the card and examined it "Quite remarkable shooting, under the circumstances." A low chuckle was heard from Seifer.
Martine looked understandably pale but determined all the same. The blast had attracted a larger crowd, who were staring wide-eyed at the card and whispering amongst themselves the name-
'Devil's Cub'
Irvine, forgetting larger issues, called out "Well done, Seifer! Best of all, I'd say!" looking admiringly at the neat hole.
Lord Cholmondley grasped Martine's wrist with a frown "Go home, Martine! If you want to fight, at least fight sober! You're no match for Seifer Almasy else!" he asked.
"No! I will fight!" cried Martine with an ugly expression on his white face.
"Do I have to wait here all night while you choose your second, Martine?" said Seifer, with narrowed eyes.
"I'm acting for myself, since everyone seems strangely shy!" sneered Martine, gesturing at the quiet crowd.
Squall rose from his seat "I do not think it fair to act for yourself. I offer myself." Said Squall curtly, pushing his brown hair away from his face.
"Is that an insult, Leonhart?" came the question from Seifer, who was leaning back on his chair watching the proceedings.
"I have no intention of that." Answered the brunette brusquely.
Seifer laughed without malice "Irvine, will you act for me?" he said without turning his head.
Irvine stood with a sigh "Of course Seifer, even if you must act like this." He went apart with Squall and checked the weapons carefully, they were duly pronounced correct and identical.
Raijin pushed his way to Seifer's side and spoke worriedly "Wait 'til you're sober, ya know? I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it but ya know?" He received no answer.
The table was pushed back. Squall and Irvine measured the paces.
The pistols were presented. Seifer took his in what seemed to be an alarmingly slack hold. Raijin obviously didn't think so as he whispered to his friend urgently "Don't kill him, ya know?"
The seconds stepped back. Seifer's pistol jerked up swiftly; there was a flash and a report with an answering one a few seconds later. Martine's bullet buried itself in the wall behind Seifer and Martine pitched forward.
Seifer threw his pistol down casually.
Squall checked Martine "He still has a pulse! Fetch a doctor!" he shouted.
Seifer turned to Raijin "As you asked." And turned heel and walked out of the room.
The silence that followed his exit was almost deafening.
So what did you think? Tell me in a review! By the way I apologise if the game was a bit wrong, I don't know much about it Oo.